


spark to an open flame

by onelastchence



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Music Video: Obsession (EXO)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25523779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onelastchence/pseuds/onelastchence
Summary: Jongdaë never once thought that he would be bonding with Chanyeol over military rations, of all things.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 9
Kudos: 61
Collections: Challenge #5 — Opposites Attract





	spark to an open flame

**Author's Note:**

> [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWMvfXaOEWE&t=2m48s) is the food that they're sharing. thank you to k for the beta!

Jongdaë knows he shouldn’t find the bright eyed, cheery looking fire wielder cute, but he does. There’s something about him that draws Jongdaë to him. Maybe it’s the beret that seems to make his ears stick out more than they already did, or the fact that they’d been fighting a _war_ and the man is here, beaming at him as he sits next to him and rummages through their ration packs.

“Hey,” Chanyeol says. “What’ve you got in yours?”

Jongdaë looks at him blandly, then thrusts his ration pack out at Chanyeol, because he doesn’t know any better. He’s never thought of food as something that he should enjoy; it’s always something that they need for sustenance, nothing else. Chanyeol grabs it, eagerly searching through it.

“You have it!” Chanyeol crows, picking something out. It’s a packet, red and way too noticeable for war. “Seafood _jjampong_ rice noodles!” 

Jongdaë, predictably, has no idea what he’s talking about. Everything tastes the same to him because he hasn’t had time to develop favourites. As long as it fuels him, it’s good enough. “Do you want it?” He asks, tilting his head. “You can have it if you do.”

“Really?” Chanyeol asks, eyes wide and sparkling, cradling the packet of noodles to his chest like it’s the most precious thing he’s ever held. “I can?”

Jongdaë shrugs. “I don’t know what it tastes like, it doesn’t really matter to me.”

Chanyeol’s eyes widen even more, if possible, but this time in incredulity rather than glee. “You _what_!” He shouts, startling some of the people close to them. Jongdaë can see his counterpart look up with a frown on his face from where he’s sitting across them with Chanyeøl. “You’ve never—not once?” He pushes the packet back into Jongdaë’s arms. “Wait here.”

He stands up, then he’s taking off and going to the center of the room. Jongdaë has no idea what he’s doing, just sighs and settles back into his corner. He’ll deal with what the fire-wielder has up his sleeves when it gets to it.

Except Chanyeol is rushing back mere seconds later, a pot of hot water in his hands. “Give that here,” Chanyeol instructs, tearing the packaging open with his teeth when Jongdaë obediently forks it over. He pours the water into the packet, and Jongdaë assumes that he’s going to make him eat it.

Whatever it is.

True to his thoughts, Chanyeol opens the bag minutes of semi-comfortable silence later with a soft _aha!_ and sticks the packet out at Jongdaë with a plastic fork. Jongdaë takes it, glancing at Chanyeol then back at the rations, then sighs. “You’re not going to stop staring at me until I eat it, are you?”

“Nope!” Chanyeol replies cheerfully, still staring at Jongdaë expectantly.

Jongdaë sighs again, but sticks the fork into the packet and shoves a forkful into his mouth. He expects nothing, as usual, but the flavours that burst in his mouth have his eyes widening slightly as he slowly looks down at the packet in his hands.

Chanyeol crows with delight, grinning at Jongdaë. “Good, right?” He asks, so happy he’s showing off all his teeth. “It’s my favourite ration out of everything that we can get.” He sits himself back down next to Jongdaë, smiling. “Now it can be _our_ favourite,” He says smugly.

“It’s really good,” Jongdaë says, just to see him smile that bit brighter. It’s a foreign concept, this fondness. He doesn’t really know what to do with it, only knows that he can’t help it, wonders if this is how Chanyeøl feels when he creeps closer to Jongdaë’s counterpart, sits next to him silently and watches Jongdae’s hands work. “Thank you, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol blinks at him, then laughs softly. “You don’t have to thank me for your own food, Jongdaë,” He chortles. “It’s yours. I almost took it from you.”

“But you gave it back,” Jongdaë replies. “When you could’ve just kept it for yourself. And I would never have known any better.”

“Oh, Jongdaë,” Chanyeol chuckles. “You think too little of me—of all of us. We’re not so bad, you know, despite what you’ve been led to believe.”

“I know,” Jongdaë says. “I guess I know now.”

“And you’re not so bad, either!”

Jongdaë looks up at him in confusion, only to see him smiling softly at nothing in particular.

“When we were first told about you, we were told you were nothing but killing machines, you know?” Chanyeol says. “That you would show us no mercy so we should do the same. I mean, you _did_ show us no mercy, so that part was right, but you all were, you know. You didn’t know any better. You were made to be us, but killing machine versions of us who were never taught humanity or kindness.”

Chanyeol turns to Jongdaë with another soft smile. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that you’re made to be us, so you can’t all be that bad.”

Jongdaë snorts. “That’s the best you could come up with?”

“Hey!” Chanyeol pouts, indignant. “It was meant to be a compliment!”

“If you say so.”

“It’s _true_!”

Jongdaë smirks, then looks back down at the rations in his hand. He shovels a bit more into his mouth then hands it over to Chanyeol, who looks at him like he’d just plucked the very stars from the sky to give to him. Chanyeol moans when he tastes the food and it makes Jongdaë laugh, that something so simple could make him so happy.

“Hey,” Jongdaë starts slyly, after they’ve chased the food down with some water. “I know something that tastes better than what we just had.”

Chanyeol glances at him from the corner of his eye. “I don’t believe you.”

“Really?” Jongdaë smirks, turning to him. “I’ll prove it to you.”

He leans up, then, grabs a fistful of Chanyeol’s fluffy hair at the nape of his neck, and tugs him down into a kiss.


End file.
